Washington State Mortgages, Made Clear. Buying or Refinancing? Let's find the right loan together.
Freddie Mac’s Bulletin 2026-1 brings a meaningful change for buyers and homeowners in the greater Seattle area. Starting with applications dated April 12, 2026, high balance conforming loans are no longer eligible under the Home Possible program. For homebuyers in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, this change directly affects your low-down-payment options on higher-priced homes.
Here is what this means, who it affects, and what alternatives remain available. [Read more…]
The FHFA announced today that the pricing of mortgage interest rates for second homes or high balance mortgages will be more expensive. This impacts conventional mortgages (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) and is effective for loans that are delivered on or after April 1, 2022 – i.e. I expect to see the price increases to start happening soon. [Read more…]
UPDATE: Please visit our complete mortgage guides for updated loan limits for homes located in Washington state.
If you obtained a high balance mortgage over the current limit ($506,000 in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties) and missed the opportunity to refinance before the loan amounts were reduced, you may still have some options worth checking out. Especially with Fannie Mae hinting that loan limits may be reduced further in just a few months, effective January 1, 2012. FHA loan limits may be further reduced in 2012 as well. We typically learn what 2012 limits will be in November. The gap between yesterday’s higher loan limits and conforming/FHA loan limits may actually widen in a few months making most of these scenarios tougher to obtain in 2012. [Read more…]
